How to advance your career in 2023

Is a promotion or new job on your radar for 2023? Skills shortages have continued to create opportunities for rapid career progression, but make sure you’re progressing in a way that will help you achieve your long-term career goals.

So, how do you advance your career in 2023?

Here are our top tips to help your career progression in 2023.

Look at ways you can achieve your career goals

With unemployment at all-time lows, and wide-spread skills shortages that aren’t expected to ease in the near term, now is a great time to find that next step on your career journey

Before jumping into your job search journey, start by thinking about where you’d like your career to be in five years. Once you’ve identified your goal, you can focus on what steps to take and what skills you might need to get there.

Sell all your skills

In response to the current skills shortages, employers are more open to transferrable skills and re-establishing what capabilities are essential in a role and what are desirable. In return, they want to know you can be trusted to produce results. So, add success metrics and examples to your resume and online professional profile as proof that you can deliver. When preparing for an interview, practice articulating your quantifiable results in your answers to common interview questions.

One simple trick is to use verbs to bring your successes front and centre in your resume. For example, instead of writing that you managed a team, try “directed”, “united” or “motivated”.

Know your worth

It’s exciting to start mapping out your career progression, but its important to critically consider your value and in turn, the value you offer any organisation you might work for. Take notes of any gaps you might leave at an organisation if you were to leave and use that to detail your skills and achievements. Knowing your value means you’ll have a better idea if you’re ready to take the next step in your career.

Build (or rebuild) your network

Remote and hybrid working over the past couple of years may have had a detrimental effect on your ability to network and build relationships – one of the key aspects in advancing your career. Start seeking out networking opportunities, reconnect with recruiters, join a professional association and update your LinkedIn profile.

Don’t do it just for the money

Skilled professionals are aware of the demand for their skills and are subsequently changing jobs to secure a higher salary. We’ve seen this trend play out with job tenures dropping in the past year.

But making major life changes, such as getting a new job, purely for the money can led to unsatisfying outcomes. Also be wary of mentioning salary too soon in any job consideration process. It can make employers concerned about their long-term retention potential if salary is their primary motivator. Instead, wait for an offer to be made, which puts you in a stronger negotiating position than if you raise the topic too early.

When it does come time to negotiate, don’t price yourself out of consideration. Consult our Salary Guide or Salary Checker to ensure your expectations are aligned with current market rates rather than the figure you believe your skills warrant. This also allows you to be confident if you need to negotiate a salary offer. Carefully consider the career progression opportunities and learning and development on offer in the context of your long-term career goals, too. If a job comes with regular upskilling, for instance, it can future-proof your employability and may be of greater financial benefit long-term.

Upskill your technical, soft and digital skills

Your skills are your most valuable commodity in the jobs market so regularly upskill to stay ahead of the competition. Focus on acquiring new technical or hard skills, but don’t neglect your soft skills and digital skills, with soft skills becoming almost as sought-after as hard skills in the current world of work. Conduct a skills self-audit to identify any gaps. Add new skills to your CV and professional profiles.

If you are looking to improve your skills, Hays Learning, our online learning platform, allows you to upskill anytime and anywhere. With Hays Learning, you can access thousands of free courses just by signing up.

Acquire green skills

Most organisations are now expected to be able to demonstrate their own ESG strategies to not only keep pace, but also attract and retain talent who want to work for businesses that take their responsibility to the wider community seriously. This means that not only has there been an increased demand for green jobs, but it has also added a sustainable lens to all jobs. Think about how you can prepare by proactively acquiring, then applying, knowledge of sustainable workplace best practices to your current role and making conscious changes to your workplace behaviour, such as water conservation, recycling, food waste and energy efficiency. Learn to perform your job in a sustainable way and you’ll be ready when employers make it a base line expectation.

Be adaptable to change

In today’s business landscape, it’s become even more important for organisations to be able to pivot quickly and remain agile, and employees need to be ready to adapt with changes. Change readiness is a valuable skill, so learn to adapt to change, drive innovation, adopt new technology and implement best practice. By building on your ability to respond quickly and positively to change, you’ll help your career success.

How to get a job in 2023

By taking charge of your career again and dedicating time, hard work and interest in career planning, you'll have the advantage in finding a role that will allow you to achieve your career goals and advance your professional development in the new year and into the future.

Remember to search our available jobs or explore our career advice hub for more tips. Good luck.

About this author

Nick Deligiannis, Managing Director, began working at Hays in 1993 and since then he has held a variety of consulting and management roles across the business. In 2004 he was appointed to the Hays Board of Directors. He was made Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand in 2012.

Prior to joining Hays, he had a background in human resource management and marketing, and has formal qualifications in Psychology.

Follow Nick on LinkedIn